Blackpool defender Alex Baptiste admits he feared he would fail to make the grade at Bloomfield Road.
The 23-year-old, who arrived from Mansfield at the start of last season but initially struggled to break into the team.
He was close to joining Notts County on loan but was instead given his big break with the Seasiders and had not looked back since.
Baptiste told the Blackpool Gazette: "The week before I made my debut at Wolves in November last year, I was going to go out on loan to Notts County.
"So things could have been very different.
"But I am grateful to Blackpool for giving me the chance to play in this division. I'll keep trying to do my best and hopefully it will be good enough."
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